Training the Heart
by 62MoonParade
Summary: This takes place between Chapter 69 and Chapter 70. The Survey Corps are hiding out in an old house while Eren trains. Mikasa is bored and wants to train to become stronger, so she turns to the last person she wants to ask a favor from: Levi. They train everyday, and the relationship slowly grows. LevixMikasa. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own SNK_**

 **Ch.1**

Mikasa was bored! She had never been so bored in her life. All she could do was sit and clean. The monotony was briefly perforated with meals and training. But even training was hardly and relief. These were the same people she had been training with for years. She knew their moves even better than they did. She threw punches and dodges blows with over-practiced ease. Eren wasn't much help either. He was always with Hange doing experiments. When he came home from them, he would collapse on his bed. Sometimes she could get some conversation out of him, but usually it was just a few mumbles before the snores would start.

So Mikasa turned down the hallways towards the last person she wanted to ask a favor from. However, if she didn't she was sure she would die of boredom. The plain wooden door appeared in front of her. She sighed and gave a quick knock. She only had to wait a moment before a sharp, "What?" told her to enter. Mikasa pulled her scarf further up to cover her chin and mouth before entering. Lance Corporal Levi was sitting behind a plain wooden desk that matched the door. Hiss feet rested on a pile of papers that were on his desk. His piercing grey gaze seemed to hold nothing but bored contempt. Mikasa was well aware that even in the heat of battle, those eyes rarely deviated from that.

"Sir," Mikasa said with a bow, "I am here to request permissions to train with you." Levi's eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly. He lifted his feet off of the papers and back to the floor. He crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair. He looked Mikasa in the eye for a moment before replying.

"You are asking me to work Ackerman?" he sneered. His tone almost made her flinch, but Mikasa was made of much sterner stuff. He raised himself off of the chair with a groan.

"Very well, I could do with the confidence boost." Levi grumbled.

"Confidence boost, sir?" Mikasa asked.

"When I kick your sorry ass." Levi replied with a small smirk. Mikasa gave a small squeak of surprise and insult.

"Come on, let's test your skills. I've heard a lot about you, but I doubt you will be much of a match against me." Levi said as he walked past, giving a small wave for Mikasa to follow. She fell into step behind him. She hadn't been prepared for him to say yes, let alone start immediately. However, she couldn't deny that her seemingly endless boredom had come to a screeching halt. She followed him down the halls of the old house they were staying in. Mikasa noticed a few cobwebs that still clung desperately to the corners. _They need to clean those_ , Mikasa thought, _Oh great, I'm turning into the Captian!_ She snorted at the thought, making the Corporal look over his shoulder quizzically. Mikasa pushed her scarf up further to hide her embarrassment.

Shortly they reached the make-shift training grounds. It was just a patch of yard that had been trampled down so much that it created a sandy hollow. Jean and Connie were already there. They were locked together on the ground in a dusty, sweaty, and loud wrestling match.

"Are you brats fighting or making love?" Levi scoffed as he approached them. Jean and Connie sprang apart and fumbled to give an awkward salute.

"C-Captain! Connie and I were practicing some new moves." Jean stammered, still blushing at the Corporal's jibe.

"Shut is Keirstein. Ackerman and I are going to show you some real moves." Levi said darkly. "Now step aside." Levi pushed past Jean and Connie. He stopped at the other end of the training grounds. Mikasa followed, but stopped short to face her Corporal. The entire training grounds separated the two.

"All right Ackerman, you want to train, so train!" Levi challenged. His cold grey eyes met Mikasa stormy black ones. Mikasa curled up within herself as she prepared for an attack. When one did not come for several moments, Mikasa sprang forward. At the last second before she hit Levi, she shifted her weight to round on his unguarded right side. What no one seemed to realize was that Levi was never unguarded. In a flash, Levi slipped his foot under Mikasa's to unbalance her. While he did that, he countered her punch with one to her left side, and turned her outstretched arm around. What was left when the dust cleared was Mikasa lying on the ground trying to catch her breath.

Jean and Connie stood by with their jaws collected dust on the ground. Mikasa felt shame and overwhelming fury and determination. No one had bested her like that since she was a little girl. She spun on the ground in a flash and knocked the Corporal's feet out from under him. Levi joined her on the ground, but before Mikasa could feel the joy of her victory, Levi had grabbed her hand. He tucked his feet under himself and flipped Mikasa up and over himself, while he did a small backflip to gain his footing.

For the second time in under a minutes, Mikasa found herself gasping for her breath. As she gazed up at the clear blue sky, Mikasa's view was blocked by a hand. She grabbed it and was pulled to her feet. Levi was standing in front of her with his arms crossed over his muscled chest.

"Not bad for our first session." Levi said, in a slightly impressed tone.

"What! That was it?" Mikasa stammered.

"I think you ought to see Hange about your ribs, one might be broken."

"I-", Mikasa started, but then she felt a sharp pain in her side. She held her to her ribs and hissed through her teeth in pain.

"I thought I would have a real challenge today, but I guess not. Perhaps tomorrow." Levi rolled his eyes. Mikasa shot him the dirtiest look she could muster. Levi rolled his eyes again.

"I'll help you to Hange, come on." He sighed and let her lean on him as they walked back into the house. As they fell under the shadow of the front door, Eren was walking out. When he saw Mikasa leaning on Levi, his eyes clouded with worry.

"Mikasa, Captain, what happened?" Eren asked as he took Mikasa from the Corporal. Mikasa proceeded to tell Eren about training and her ribs. As Eren and Mikasa disappeared at a turn, Levi was left to walk back to his own quarters alone. As he was thinking about all of the paperwork Erwin had left on his desk, a thought rudely interrupted. It had been quite a long time since someone had managed to knock him on his ass. He allowed his lips to twitch into a momentary smile. As he entered his office, he replayed the battle in his mind again. Her form had been perfect. Not as perfect as his of course, but he had never seen anything like it. The way she had shifted her weight to suddenly strike his side was amazing. He barely caught it on time. He was so shocked that he forgot to hold back and did some serious damage to her. He did feel bad about that if he was honest with himself. If they were ambushed now, she would be unable to fight. But that wasn't entirely true, though. She had turned him on his ass faster than a snake. And then he had to finish the fight with that move. He allowed himself a little fun, and to prove that he was still the better fighter. But he still felt a twinge of guilt about hurting her. _Ah well, nothing I can do now_ , he thought. He sat down in his chair with a grunt. He looked at the mountain of papers that were stacked on his desk. Levi glared at it for a second before he propped his feet back on them like he did before Mikasa walked in his office.

"Levi sure did a number on you, didn't he!" Hange laughed as she applied a sweet smelling ointment to Mikasa's exposed side. Mikasa winced at Hange's touch.

"Are my ribs broken? The Captain said they might be." Mikasa asked, concern clear in her voice.

"Oh please! Levi exaggerates. He'll have to hit you a lot harder than that! No, just some heavy bruising. This ointment will numb your side to ease the pain." Mikasa gave a sigh of relief as the pain slowly faded away. The numbness was uncomfortable in a different way though. Her balance was off, and it was unnerving not to feel anything on her left side.

"Well that about does it! You're free to go!" Hange said happily as she dusted off her hands. Mikasa walked back to her room with Eren as an escort. I don't want you to train with him again Mikasa." Eren said while he clenched his fists.

"I can do what I like Eren." Mikasa said with a glare at Eren.

"Mikasa, you got seriously hurt!"

"And I learned from my mistake. Next time he won't get a chance to land a blow."

"Next time! Mikasa there can't be a next time. What if you _had_ broken your ribs and then we were attacked by the MP. Where would we be?" Eren stopped in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. Mikasa slipped out from under his arms.

"I need to get stronger if I am to protect you from the Titan-shifters. I'm going to keep training with Corporal Levi, Eren." Mikasa walked past him and into her room. She gingerly undressed herself and put on a nightgown that the Scouts had given her. It was a little big, but it was soft and warm. She laid down on her bed and thought about the training session. She underestimated the Captain's speed and it had cost her, but she now knew how to dodge his attacks. Strike light and then retreat quickly, that is what she would do in the morning. She had attacked like a wolf, when she needed to attack like a snake. Mikasa sighed and rolled under the covers. Hange had told her to rest for the rest of the day, yet sleep evaded her. She kept thinking replaying the battle over again.

A knock at her door disrupted her thoughts. Figuring it was Eren come to lecture her again, she crossly said, "What?"

"It seems your manners are worse that Jeagar's." Came the cool tone of Levi. He walked into Mikasa's room.

"I'm sorry sir, I thought you were someone else." Mikasa leapt out of bed a little awkwardly and gave a bow.

"Whatever, get back into bed. I wouldn't hear the end of it if Hange thought I interrupted your rest. I wanted to come and make sure that I didn't beat you up too bad." Levi stated, shutting the door behind him. He sat down in an old chair that sat at the foot of Mikasa's bed. He crossed one leg over the other in his usual fashion.

"I'm fine, sir." Mikasa began, a little annoyed. "Only some bruises. Hange said I'll be fine in the morning, then we can resume our training."

"Fine then, but we won't be battling in the morning."

"But sir I-" Mikasa started, but was stopped by a look from the Corporal.

"We will be racing instead."

Mikasa nodded. She was slightly relieved since she was still in some pain, but she would never show that to the Corporal.

"Now, I suggest you spend the rest of the night in your bed so that you can perform your best tomorrow. I want to be challenged more than I was today. If I were an MP, you would've been tied to a chair and spilling all of our secrets by now." With that short speech, Levi fell silent. He meant to leave after that, but he found himself reluctant to leave her side. He got up from his chair and moved closer to Mikasa's bedside. He was annoyed at her for almost beating him today. He bent over her menacingly. A shiver crept down Mikasa's spine as those piercing grey eyes seemed to pick her apart. The moment was shattered by Eren entering the room.

"Oh! Captain, my apologies." Eren stammered. Levi gave Eren a dark look before replying cooly.

"I was just leaving Jeagar. I'm sure you want some time alone with your girlfriend"

"Eren is my brother sir." Mikasa corrected coolly. Levi was unsure why he was pleased to hear that.

"Y-yeah, Mikasa is just my sister!" Eren continued to stammer.

"Whatever, just be ready for training in the morning." Levi said, shaking off his momentary confusion. With that, he stalked out of the room.

"Are you seriously training in the morning?" Eren moved to sit at the foot of her bed.

"Yes, but it will be a race instead of a fight. So no contact."

"But you're hurt!"

"Eren, I am fine." Mikasa shot him a dark look.

"I guess I'm starting to sound like you." Eren joked, deciding to give up. Mikasa poked him in the back with her feet playfully. Eren shot her a smile, and she couldn't help but remember their times living in the Shinganshiga District. Those were good times, but they had grown up so much since then. They had met so many people, had seen so many die, and seen so many survive. A pair of sharp grey eyes entered her mind at that thought.

"Mikasa? You ok?" Eren's voice interrupted. Mikasa shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Yeah, just tired." She said

"I can leave so you can sleep." Eren said, standing up.

"No!" Mikasa said, reaching out a hand to stop him.

"Will you wait here until I fall asleep?" Eren raised his eyes at this; this used to be an old routine of theirs. Eren nodded and sat down again. He held onto Mikasa's hand as she drifted off to sleep. Eren watched her begin to breathe steadily. He couldn't help chuckle at how powerful his foster sister had become since he found her cowering in that vile mountain lodge. He touched his lips lightly to her forehead and left her to sleep and dream.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch.2**

Mikasa woke up late the next morning, yet she couldn't see the sun coming in through the window. A shirt had just been thrown over her face, blocking the sun. She groaned and wiped it off with sleep leaden arms. She opened her eyes slowly, and was greeted by a strange and rather annoying sight. Lance Corporal Levi was opening her drawers and pulling out a pair of pants.

"What the hell are you doing?" Mikasa grumbled, forgetting her manners in her anger.

"You were so late to our training that I decided to put my foot down and wake you up. Now put on some clothes and drag your sorry ass outside." Levi said, throwing the pants at her. She caught them as she got out of bed, but the sudden movement lit up a flare of pain along her injured side. She fell onto the floor in a hiss of pain.

She was surprised when a pair of strong arms lifted her gently back onto her bed. She saw that the Corporal was no longer finding her clothes, but was right next to her. She looked into his eyes and thought she saw a flicker of guilt. _No way, I must be imagining it. The Captain doesn't feel guilt. He's probably annoyed with my weakness._ Mikasa thought.

"Perhaps you are not ready to train this morning." Levi said quietly.

"No way, I have been lying down long enough. I just forgot and got up too quickly." Mikasa swung her legs back off the bed and stood up.

Levi watched as she picked up the shirt that had woken her up, and the pants that Levi had thrown.

"I'll change quickly and meet you on the training grounds sir." Mikasa said, her normal cool self again. Levi nodded and was walking out of the room when Eren walked in carrying a slice of bread and butter.

"C-Captain!" Eren said, surprised to see Levi there in the morning. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't recall you being a higher rank that me Jeagar. You have no authority to speak to me like that." Levi snarled.

"Lance Corporal Levi was waking me up for training. I didn't mean to sleep so late. My apologies Captain, I will be out shortly." Mikasa bowed to Levi, clearly unhappy with how he talked to Eren. Not that he cared of course, but he felt annoyed that Jeagar had interrupted him and Mikasa again. It shouldn't bother him, but yet it did.

"You aren't serious Mikasa. We talked about this last night, he hurt you bad yesterday!" Eren's voice travelled to where Levi was standing. Levi felt anger and guilt on hearing Eren's statement. Anger because how dare Eren talk to her like that, and guilt because what he said was true. He _had_ hurt her yesterday. But today there would be no chance at that. Levi stalked back to where he could hear Mikasa yelling at Eren, and he felt pleased with that. He walked back into her room.

"Jeagar, if you continue to delay my training session I will make sure you get half rations for a week! Now let my Cadet dress!" Levi spat at Eren. Eren, obviously cowed, left quickly with a bow to Mikasa and a quiet apology to the Captain.

"Now hurry up Ackerman, I don't have all day." Levi said, turning out of the room and made his way to the training grounds.

Mikasa arrived moments later looking ready for action. Levi stood with his back to her, looking into the forest that surrounded the house.

"Sir, I am ready for training." Mikasa said. Levi spun around.

"Good, now go get your 3DM gear." Levi said briskly. Mikasa noticed that he had his on as well. She ran back inside to grab her gear and put it on with ease. With it now on, she was ready whatever Levi had planned. Once back outside, Levi began to instruct her immediately.

"The route is marked in the trees. It is not easy to see though, so you will have to pay attention. There are other surprises hidden that you will have to watch out for. Whoever completes the race first wins." He said instructed.

"And what do I win, when I win." Mikasa joked. Levi looked surprised at that, thinking she was serious. However, Mikasa took that momentary confusion to sprint towards the trees. She shot out her hooks and took off into the trees. She could see that some trees were marking with a small scratch. They were hard to see like Levi had said, but not impossible. She had a miniscule lead, but she knew she would need it. She would no longer underestimate Levi. For all she cared, he could do anything. This idea would keep her always prepared and on her toes for any advantage.

The trees began to grow thicker, and Mikasa remembered Levi's warning that there were surprises waiting for her along the trail. Suddenly something white shot past her. It shot past her and into the trees where it disappeared. She dared a glance behind and saw the Captain not 10 feet behind her. A wave of adrenaline coursed through her body, spurring her to go faster. Another white object flew past her, narrowly missing her nose. This caused Mikasa to stumble a little with her gear. When she looked back this time, Levi was only feet from her. She looked him in the eyes, and the moment only lasted a second before another white object exploded on her leg. She broke eye contact to see what had hit her. It was some sort of white powder that looked an awful lot like flour. For a moment she looked at her now dirty pant leg with annoyance, but pushed the thoughts down and focuses on the race.

Levi was now ahead of her, which was even more annoying that the flour. More flour bombs were streaking through the trees now. Mikasa zig zagged around the flour bombs, while still trying to stay on the path of the race. She could feel them whiz past her, or on rare occasions hit her. The trees began to thin out once more. Mikasa could make out the house they were using in the distance. It looked like they had just gone in a giant circle. No more flour bombs were coming out of the trees, so Mikasa took this time to catch up to Levi as best as she could. He was not far ahead of her now, and the distance was getting shorter. Mikasa used her 3DM gear like it was an extension of her own body. She was now right next to the Captain. As the trees gave way to the yard, they both jumped and rolled to land unharmed. Levi looked genuinely surprised to see Mikasa standing right next to him.

"Well done Ackerman. I'm impressed you could keep up. Although you look like a bakery." Levi noted. Mikasa looked down at herself. The flour had mixed with the sweat from her body to make a sticky and very uncomfortable dough. She made a face in disgust, when she looked at Levi. He was no better than she was. Looking at the proud Captain covered in dough made Mikasa laugh out loud. He looked absolutely ridiculous. His usually perfect cravat was covered in drying dough. His sleek black hair was dusted white.

"That's enough Ackerman. Now get inside and cleaned up. You smell and look repulsive. I expect you to be ready to clean the dining room in 20 minutes." Levi ordered, annoyed about getting laughed at. Mikasa straightened up at that.

"Yes sir." Mikasa saluted, still giggling as she ran into the building and to the nearest shower. She wanted to make sure all of the dough was off of her before she had to start cleaning.

Levi watched her run off and couldn't help feeling impressed. She was fast, _really_ fast. No one could keep up with him, yet she could. In fact, she almost beat him. She tricked him in the beginning into thinking that she would treat this like a joke. It showed she was smart too. Levi began to walk towards him own private shower. He was glad her joke at the beginning was a trick, because it would have seriously annoyed him otherwise. He didn't like nonsense when it came to fighting. He didn't really like nonsense at all. But watching her race through the trees from behind had been…satisfying. She had perfect form, but she was also an attractive girl. _And that never hurts_. Levi laughed to himself.

As he reached his room, he couldn't stop thinking about how she had dodged those flour bombs. Granted, the other Cadets were not very good throwers, but she had done it almost easily. Levi was still picturing her form and use of the 3DM gear while he threw his dirty clothes in a hamper, and stepped into his shower. The hot water felt good, but it turned the rest of the flour into dough, and he had to pick it out little by little. This began to annoy him greatly, and he was soon cursing his idea of throwing flour.

30 minutes later and Mikasa was in the dining room dusting the corners of the ceiling for spiders. The ceilings were low in the house, but there were plenty of places where bugs could hide in the ornate decorations that lined the room. _Whoever once owned this house much have been rich_ , she thought. Mikasa sneezed as dusty danced around her head. She coughed lightly and then stepped down from the small ladder she was standing on. She was alone in the room, and pretty much the whole house. The beautiful weather had drawn everyone outside. Mikasa longed to join her fellow Survey Corps members, but Levi had told her to clean the dining room. _Although,_ thought Mikasa _, he has yet to show up_. When she had entered the dining room after her shower, Mikasa expected to find the Captain standing there and barking orders at her. However, she found nothing. Not even cleaning supplies. But, thinking it might be some sort of test, she grabbed supplies from the nearest closet and began dusting.

"Mikasa what are you doing?" Mikasa spun around, surprised that she hadn't heard anyone come in. Eren stood in the doorway to the dining room. He was dressed in nothing but his boxers. If it was anyone else Mikasa would have been embarrassed, but they grew up together. She remembered one time when Eren was sick, and Dr. Jeagar had been out of town. Mrs. Jeagar and Mikasa had to take care of him. His fever got so high that he laid on his bed in nothing but his underwear.

"Eren you should put on some clothes. I'm cleaning, the Captain ordered it." Mikasa stated.

"Oh yeah, well a bunch of us are going swimming the lake, do you want to come? The room is already sparkling, I'm sure the Captain will be happy with your work." Mikasa thought about it. She would love to cool off in the lake on the other side of the house. She was setting down the cleaning supplies when a sinister voice made her stop.

"How about the Captain decides. I don't remember you having mind reading abilities now Jeagar." Levi, looking cross, stepped into the room. However, the sight of him was more of a shock than his tone. He was dressed casually, well casually for Levi. He wore a plain white dress shirt with his usual white cravat. Instead of the white and leather uniform pants, he had on black dress pants and shoes. Mikasa winced internally at his outfit, because the last time he had worn something similar to it, he had been injured because of her.

"Sir, I meant no disrespect!" Eren saluted as proudly as he could in boxers. Levi looked him over with a scoff.

"Go run along with the other idiots, Jeagar." Levi ordered Eren left the room with a pleading glance at his sister to follow. Mikasa gave the smallest of nods that she would try.

"This room is disgusting." Levi said, crushing her hopes of swimming. "Have you been napping in here? It looks like no one has lived here in years."

"No one has lived here in years." Mikasa snapped. She was annoyed at being ordered to clean an already clean room, and to be told it wasn't good enough. Levi looked at her sharply.

"What, do you want to go waste your time like those idiots?" Levi barked.

"They aren't idiots, they are my family!" Mikasa wouldn't stand to hear Eren and Armin called idiots anymore. Even though the Captain was her superior, she would not put up with hearing the boy who saved her life be called an idiot one more time.

"Your brother is strong, but he still has his head up his ass most of the time. Get over it." Levi was getting annoyed, couldn't she see that Jeagar was just a dumb child who needed his hand held?

"Eren is smart and kind and fearless! I wouldn't be alive without him!" Mikasa yelled, her anger driving her forward.

"That seems to be a gross exaggeration." Levi scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. That was the last straw for Mikasa, she knew that she was overreacting. She even recognized that Levi didn't know her history. That didn't stop her from throwing the feather duster down and stalking off past Levi.

"To hell with your cleaning, I'm going swimming with people who actually have a heart!" she yelled over her shoulder, tears threatening to spill over. She reined them in though, she would not give her Captain the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Levi was stunned into silence for a moment. He had heard people call him heartless before, many times in fact, but hearing it from her stung. But why should it sting? This girl had no value to him other than her skills on the battlefield. Yes, she did have spirit, and yes she was beautiful. Gorgeous if Levi was honest with himself. And somewhere alongside the sting of her calling him heartless, he also felt bad for making her upset. Which was another thing that absolutely did not make sense. Since when did he care if someone cried because of him! He remembered being a bit softer as a criminal, but there was no room for softness in the Scouts. He heard a door slam above him and guessed that Mikasa had retreated to her room before she went to the lake.

He was curious however, about Mikasa saying that Jeagar saved her life. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had been the other way around, but the fact that Jeagar may have saved her life was mind boggling. He shook his head to try and forget about it, what did it matter really? But the thought just stuck in his mind. It would explain why she was so devoted to that half-wit. Levi decided that, as their commanding officer, he had a right to know. With that thought in his head, Levi strode to Mikasa's room.

The door shut. He stood staring at it for a minute. He was preparing himself to find Mikasa sobbing on her bed, perhaps with a stuffed animal collecting the tears. Girls did that right? He wasn't much of a ladies man. In fact, he had never looked at a women with much more that indifference. Petra was the only woman that he had a great deal of respect for, and that was just because of her prowess fighting Titans. When her dad had mentioned marriage, he had been shocked to say the least. But this was different. There was something different about the girl on the other side of the plain wooden door that drew Levi in.

He knocked quietly but with authority. He heard no reply from the other side of the door, so we tried the doorknob. The door was unlocked. He opened the door all the way before walking in. Mikasa was not on her bed sobbing, nor was she clinging to a stuffed animal. In fact, he could not see her anywhere. The room was empty except for a bed, chair, dressers, and table. He walked in, leaving the door open behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I don't own SNK**_

 **Ch.3**

Mikasa had gone back to her room to calm down. She put her head in her hands and let out a long sigh. Did she actually just yell at a senior officer? How could she be so stupid! Her punishment would be extreme, that much was certain. Would Eren be punished too? No that was silly, he didn't do anything. She would probably be demoted. But she was already the lowest rank. Maybe Levi would make her be a trainee again. It felt good to yell at him though. She hadn't talked to him like that since the forest of giant trees. There she had blamed him for Eren getting taken by Annie.

She did feel a little bit bad though. He had taken time out of his day to help her get stronger, and he was actually putting a lot of effort into it. The race today had shown how much he expected of her, and how much faith he had in her. No one had shown that much confidence in her abilities, not even Eren. She did have to admit that Levi had a point when he called Eren an idiot; he was. Mikasa loved him with all her heart, but she knew that Eren had a lot of growing up to do. That still didn't give him a right to say it though! But her anger was ebbing away. She ought to apologize for her rudeness, and hopefully not become a trainee again.

But first she would go swimming with her friends. She couldn't get herself in more trouble that she already was, and this might be the last time she could do something fun with them. She rose off her bed and went to the bathrooms to grab a towel. She slunk quietly through the old house so as not to draw a certain Captain's attention. Once she was past the back doors, she sprinted to the lake where everyone else was splashing around or laying in the sun.

"Hey Mikasa! You made it! I thought the Captain was going to chew your head off for sure!" Eren yelled from the middle of the lake. He waved his hand for her to join him and the others. She threw her towel on the ground and stripped to her underclothes. Jean whistled from his place near Eren, but choked on it when Mikasa threw him a look that nearly killed him. Mikasa ran into the water and swam confidently towards Eren. She hadn't had many chances to ever swim, but it was a skill that seemed to come naturally to her.

As Mikasa came close to Eren, something grabbed her from below and pulled her down. She panicked for a moment, before seeing that it was only Sasha, who had copious amounts of bubbles escaping from her silently laughing mouth. Mikasa popped back up on the surface only to be met with a wave of water from Eren. They both laughed as they began a war of splashing. The others soon joined in.

After an hour of splashing around, everyone was getting tired and hungry. They all trekked back to the house in a sopping wet line. Mikasa trailed behind, not wanting to face the Captain yet. However, she knew it was inevitable. She walked back to her room with nothing but her towel wrapped around her. She hadn't wanted to put her good clothes on over her wet ones. As she rounded the corner of the hallway where her room was located, she saw that her door was open. _I thought I shut that,_ she thought. She walked in and was startled to see Captain Levi sitting on her bed, holding her scarf in his hands. She cleared her throat, since it seemed he didn't notice she was there.

Levi looked up at Mikasa, and his eyes widened noticeably. He had not expected her to be wearing, well hardly anything at all. Mikasa's face reddened but she remained calm, she knew what she had to do

"Sir, I want to apologize for my behavior earlier. It was unacceptable and there are no excuses. I will accept whatever punishment you assign to me. I can only repeat how sorry I am." Mikasa said all of this with a deep bow.

"Put on some clothes Ackerman." Mikasa looked up in surprise. That was all? Maybe he wanted to make a public announcement; to make an example out of her.

"Yes sir." Mikasa scrambled to grab fresh clothes from her dresser while keeping a tight hold on her towel. The last thing she wanted was for the Captain to see her practically naked. When she saw that he hadn't moved from her bed, she went out to the bathrooms to change.

When she was all dressed, she walked back to her room. Levi's position had not shifted.

"Shut the door Ackerman." Levi ordered when she walked back in. Mikasa nodded and shut her door, butterflies blossoming in her stomach at the thought of her looming punishment. She stood in front of him, waiting for the worst. What next came out of his mouth was completely unexpected.

"How did Jeagar save your life?"  
"What, sir?"

"Earlier, you said that Jeagar had saved your life. How?" Levi looked up at her now. His eyes revealed nothing but faint curiosity. They were searching, but there was nothing malicious or threatening in them. They were so unlike the eyes that normally glared out of that face. Mikasa was unsure if she really wanted to talk about it, even her and Eren rarely talked about it, but he had asked her a question and if she wanted to avoid getting in more trouble, she ought to answer.

"Well, it happened when I was a little girl." Mikasa began.

"Sit." Levi interrupted her, patting the open space of bed beside him. Mikasa sat awkwardly, not wanting to sit too close.

"Continue." Levi ordered, his tone commanding but without the sharp edge that usually followed it.

"I used to live in the mountains in Wall Maria. It was just me and my parents. We were happy together. One day my mom got a cold, so we sent for Dr. Jeagar, Eren's dad, who was the nearest doctor. While we were waiting for him to arrive, two men knocked on our door. They were not the doctor. They came in and-", Mikasa had to stop and choke back the tears that threatened to come. The memory she was revealing was not one she thought about much. It was painful and the scar left on her heart still bled. Something warm fell on her shoulders. Mikasa opened her eyes and saw that her scarf was no longer in Levi's hands, but he had placed it gently over her shoulders. The feeling was so comforting that Mikasa almost lost her grip on her emotions. But it also felt good to tell her story to her Captain. It felt like a bond was being made that would make them stronger soldiers. Mikasa cleared her throat and continued.

"They came in and killed my father. The tried to take my mother, but she fought so hard they killed her too. I was too little to do anything but stand and watch. They knocked me out, and when I came to, I was in a dingy little cabin somewhere I didn't know. It couldn't have been too far thought, because by that time Dr. Jeagar and Eren had discovered my house. Eren tracked the men down. While they were discussing about selling me on the black market, Eren came in and killed two of them with a knife. He untied me, and when a third man came in the room, I killed him. He gave me this scarf then. Eren saved me from a horrible fate, and no matter how hard I try, I can never repay him for his courage. He once told me that we have to fight to live, and I now live by those words." Mikasa stopped talking. She no longer felt the need to cry, she just felt tired. Reliving the story was exhausting. She didn't want to look at Levi, all she wanted to do was lay down in her bed and fade off into sleep.

However, her Captain currently occupied a portion of her bed. She looked up at him only to find his eyes staring straight through her. They were clouded with…something. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there were definitely not focused on her or anything at all it seemed. She noticed that his fists were clenched tightly. Why was he so worked up?

"Captain?" Mikasa asked hesitantly after several moments of silence. Levi's eyes snapped back from wherever they had been. They stared straight through her soul with piercing fury. Mikasa widened her eyes in shock at their grey intensity. She had no idea what had made him so angry. Was her punishment about to come? Did he think she had made it up? He had been so gentle and, dare she say caring, when he put her scarf around her.

Levi sprang off of the bed and paced the room a few times before stopping right in front of Mikasa.

"I understand your loyalty to Jeagar now. I didn't think the kid had it in him to do something like that. I apologize for forcing you to relive those memories, however, I think we now better understand each other." Levi said quickly.

"Understand each other sir? I am sorry, but I'm confused. I thought I would be punished for earlier." Mikasa's head was spinning, why was Levi apologizing? He didn't do anything wrong, she had, and yet it seemed that had been forgotten.

"You are forgiven from earlier. It seems everyone has shocking secrets that are hidden within them." Levi remained standing. Mikasa felt she ought to do or say something, but she didn't know what.

"Do you have secrets, sir?" She asked, instantly regretting it. She had been forgiven from her outburst earlier, and now she was sticking her nose where it didn't belong.

"That is a story for another time." Levi said slowly, seeming to agree with her thoughts. "But perhaps if you perform well during training tomorrow you will earn it." Mikasa looked at him with surprise. Was Levi offering to share his past with her? That seemed out of character for the enigmatic Captain. But she didn't complain, the bond that she felt growing earlier was certainly there now, and she could think of no reason not to strengthen it.

She stood up from her seat on her bed and saluted him. This put them very close together, with her fist almost brushing against his shirt. She had expected Levi to take a step back, but he remained where he was. Their eyes look directly into each other's. Mikasa felt her heart skip a beat for reasons unknown to her. Why did she feel so weird right now? That was the only way to describe how she felt.

Levi, on the other hand knew exactly what he was feeling, and he did not like it at all. He felt himself being pulled towards her, and he hated it. How dare his emotions betray him like this! This girl in front of him would die one day at the hands of a Titan, he wouldn't let himself become attached. It had hurt when his squad had been killed, but he knew that if he had to watch Mikasa die it would be worse. He felt a new determination to train her harder. She needed to be better than him. The last time he thought an equal could take care of themselves, he lost two of the closest friends he had ever had. He could still see their faces as they were devoured by Titans. He would not let her meet the same fate. She had to be stronger than he was.

"Be at the lake early tomorrow for training. I will not come a get you again." Levi said and spun on his heels out of the room. He had his hand on the door when he paused. Without looking back at her he said, "Thank you for sharing your story with me. I will take it with me to the grave." With that he walked out of the room, closing the door softly. Mikasa was dumbfounded. She couldn't understand why her heart was having trouble slowing down, or why she felt sad when he left the room. Her stomach growling interrupted her confusion. She decided that she ought to eat first and then figure out why her body was acting so strangely.

Mikasa made her way down to the dining room where everyone else was already eating. Eren waved her over. He already had a tray of food for her next to him. She smiled at him, and thought about how much he meant to her. He may never know, but she would always take care of him, no matter what.

"You're late! Where have you been?" Armin asked her from across the table.

"The Captain needed to talk to me." Mikasa said, gaining several curious looks from around the table.

"About what?" Eren asked, putting his full fork down.

"Cleaning." Said a stern voice form behind Mikasa. She spun around and saw that Levi had followed her into the dining room. "She did a good job in here and I need her to clean the upstairs hallway tomorrow. You lot can't even clean behind your ears properly." With that Levi walked up to Erwin to eat with him and Hange. Mikasa was surprised that he decided to compliment her. A warm feeling in her stomach startled her. She decided to ignore and eat her food.

"What was that about? I thought he was about to breath fire from the way he was looking at us. But hey, Mikasa! You got a compliment from the Captain! I don't think he's ever complimented anyone before." Eren laughed. Armin laughed from across the table, but Mikasa caught the weird look he was giving her.

Dinner passed with no more excitement than Connie choking on a piece of meat. Mikasa felt eyes on her back all nice from the head table, but she didn't want to turn around to find out. After the meal, the Cadets made their way upstairs. They were all talking and laughing, and Mikasa felt good. She was with the people she cared about, she was full, and she felt safe. She thought the last one was kind of stupid since they weren't safe, but a pair of grey eyes made her feel like she could sleep easy.

She said goodnight to Eren and Armin, and walked into her room. It seemed empty for some reason, like there was something that should be there but wasn't. Nothing was missing though. Mikasa sighed, she must be more tired than she thought. She quickly undressed and fell into bed. If she had to get up early in the morning, she wanted to be well rested.

The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon when Mikasa awoke the next morning. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and got up out of bed. Even though it was summer, the cold of night clung on and she shivered. She pulled out her normal uniform. She wasn't sure what to expect from training that day. Wishing she knew what Levi had in mind, she walked into the quiet kitchen to grab a roll for breakfast. She didn't want to be full before training, but she knew that wouldn't perform her best without something to give her energy.

She walked out of the building with the last bite of the bread roll disappearing between her teeth. The birds were singing and the sun made the dew on the ground sparkle. Mikasa couldn't help but smile. There was not much beauty left in the world, but this morning was beautiful to her. She looked out across the lake and couldn't see Levi anywhere. _I must have beaten him here._ She thought happily. She wanted to impress him today. The past two training sessions had ended in failure, although the race had been close.

She walked to the water's edge and pulled off her leather boots and socks. She rolled up her pant legs a few inches and stepped into the water. It was cold, but it felt good and refreshing. She dug her toes into the sand for warmth. She crossed her arms over her chest and started humming quietly to herself. It was an old song that she knew from Armin. He had said that it was an old lullaby used before the Titans came around. How he knew that she didn't know, but she liked the tune anyways.

Light footsteps interrupted her peace. She turned around slowly, knowing who it was.

"It seems you finally beat me at something." Levi said as he approached her. She wasn't sure, but it seemed like his was making a joke. Mikasa graced him with a small smile, which he returned. This surprised her even more. Perhaps this was part of training, he was trying to throw her off her guard. Well it was working, that was for sure. The warm feeling returned to her stomach and her heart sped up. Mikasa ignored these things and focused on what Levi was doing. She didn't want to be caught off guard

Levi noticed her face flush minutely and had to hold back another smile. One was enough for one day. He noticed that she had her feet in the water and had to hold back another smile. What was wrong with him today? He straightened his back and quickly surveyed the area. It wasn't as clear of debris as the sandy training hollow, but it would work.

"Put your boots back on, this isn't play time. Today we are going to be fighting hand to hand combat again. I'll try not hurt you again, but I expect you to leave with some bruises. Don't hold anything back." Levi waited until she had her boots back on before he launched himself at her. She was obviously not prepared, but she still dodged him. She stumbled to find her footing, and while she was doing that, Levi had spun around, waiting for Mikasa to strike.

Mikasa had quickly readjusted her balance and stood lightly on her toes. She coiled her muscles like a snake and sprang forward in a sharp, twisting motion. Levi didn't have time to react. For once, Mikasa had beaten him with her speed. She jabbed at his left side and then retreated. Levi tried to counterattack, but Mikasa was out of the way long before that. He was stunned. _Where did that speed come from?_ He wondered. She had certainly possessed speed with the 3DM gear, but this was much different from their first battle.

Their training session continued in the same fashion. Mikasa darting in with quickly little blows, leaving Levi dumbfounded. However, Mikasa began sporting several bruises as well. She was too slow on one punch and before she could get away, Levi had landed a blow to her stomach. That one knocked the wind out of her and she was regretting eating anything that morning as it threatened to come back up.

"Alright that's enough." Levi said after an hour of their brutal dance. They were both covered in sweat, dirt, and bruises. Mikasa's bruised ribs from their first battle was bothering her again. She was exhausted. She hated to admit that she had lost again to her Captain, although not nearly as bad as before.

"Get inside and get cleaned up. You smell disgusting." Levi ordered.

"You don't smell much better yourself, and you look even worse than you smell." Mikasa risked a joke. She felt like she could be more relaxed with her Captain and mentor since sharing her story. Levi looked angry for a moment before he noticed her smiling. He let a short cough of laughter escape his mouth and gave a wry smile.

"Careful Ackerman, you are on my good side now, but once these bruises start to smart you had better stay away from me." Levi joked back. It felt good to be friendly with someone other than Erwin and Hange. Now they were all he had left to consider friends.

"I'll go shower and then get breakfast with the rest of the Cadets. Is that alright sir?" Mikasa added the question to still show respect to her senior officer. Levi just nodded. With that, Mikasa ran/limped back to the house, excited to clean the sweat off of herself. Levi followed slowly after, once again impressed by her abilities.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hello everyone! I am almost done with this story now; I think this will be the penultimate chapter. Just a heads up, there is a spoiler warning on this chapter for those who have not seen AoT: No Regrets. If you haven't seen it yet you should watch it because it is SO GOOD!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own SNK**_

 **Ch.4**

Mikasa ran straight into the bathrooms; she really didn't like the smell that was emanating off of her. As she let the hot water wipe away the grime from training, Mikasa thought of Levi. She had gotten the better of him several times that session, and she was hoping that he would be impressed enough to share his backstory that he hinted at the night before. She couldn't picture the doom and gloom Captain as a young boy. It made her giggle thinking of him running around playing tag.

As she finished her shower, Mikasa's stomach growled menacingly. She hurried to her room in a towel and threw on her uniform pants and a white t-shirt. She left the room to find her comrades for breakfast. However, as she entered the kitchen, everyone was filing out.

"Armin, are you already done eating?" Mikasa asked her blonde friend as he walked past.

"Mikasa where have you been? Sasha went to get you this morning but you weren't there." Armin replied, curiosity bright in his eyes.

"I had training early this morning with Levi." Mikasa said, wincing internally that she had not called him Captain. Armin clearly noticed, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

"I guess I had better grab some food quickly before it's put away." Mikasa said as she slipped past Armin and into the dining room. She felt his gaze pierce her back as she walked away. She wasn't sure why she felt so shy about Levi-no CAPTAIN Levi- all of a sudden. When she walked into the kitchen, Jean was gathering rolls of bread into a wicker basket while Connie was busy cleaning out a large pot that had remnants of oatmeal stuck to the sides.

"Can I take one of those rolls Jean?" Mikasa asked as she walked up to the pair.

"Sure, but the Captain just came and got you some." Connie said while Jean's face turned light pink. Mikasa was visibly surprised, and Connie couldn't help but wonder if he had said something wrong.

"I'll go find him then. Thanks." Mikasa walked away, slightly confused but also with a small bounce in her step. She would get to eat breakfast with him! Then her stomach dropped like a stone. The thought, while exciting, also made her nervous. What would then talk about? She guessed fighting moves or maybe new training exercises. She found herself standing in front of his office door far too soon. She gave a light knock.

"Come in." Came Levi's cold voice. Mikasa entered and had a feeling that she had lived this scene before. Levi was sitting in a leather chair with his feet on a pile of papers on top of the desk. The difference now was that he had a partially eaten roll of bread with some butter in his hand. A plate with another roll and two bowls of oatmeal sat next to the papers. Mikasa walked in all the way and closed the door behind her.

"Sit." Levi ordered her, taking his feet off the desk and crossing them instead. Mikasa sat in the leather armchair that faced him from the opposite side of the desk. She looked at Levi expectantly.

"Eat. I didn't know if you would take long getting cleaned up so I took the liberty of grabbing you something. The oatmeal is cold but it still tastes fine." Levi handed her a bowl and the plate with bread. Mikasa said thank you and spread some butter on her roll before tucking in. She was starving from their intense training that morning. Mikasa chewed in silence, unsure of what to say. She thought about asking about his past, but decided that he would share that when he wanted to.

"What's on the schedule today sir?" Mikasa finally decided on just asking a rather bland question that would hopefully start a better discussion.

"Everyone is to clean their quarters today." Replied Levi, clearly underwhelmed with her topic choice. Mikasa decided to opt for something more personal, hoping to feel that bond they had forged when she told him about her parents.

"Eating these rolls always reminds me of the ones that Mrs. Jaeger would make. I would help her every few days make a fresh dozen. They should have lasts more than a couple days, but Eren would eat four for a meal. I always yelled at him for eating so many because they took so long to make. Now I wish I could spend all day making those rolls with Mrs. Jaeger again." Mikasa had stared at her roll throughout her confession. The memories that it stirred up were pleasant and made her smile.

Levi stared at Mikasa. He had always noticed how beautiful the girl was, but now she seemed to radiate beauty. Mikasa was looking at the roll with such love and joy that Levi wished he were made of yeast and flour if that meant she would look at him that way. She was absolutely mesmerizing. His mind sputtered to a halt as her eyes met his and it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. Earth stood still for a moment that seemed to last forever. Silence engulfed them both, but they didn't seem to notice. Then Levi's mind found its footing again and he broke eye contact with her by looking down at his hands. He didn't remember clenching them.

Levi felt like his chest was about to explode. His heart was hammering against his ribcage and he found it hard to catch his breath for a few moments. He had no idea what had just happened. Not long ago this girl was just a soldier, a soldier worth a thousand soldier, but still a soldier. Now, she was something new. Levi looked up at Mikasa again. She was staring at her feet, the roll lay abandoned on her plate. Her face was flushed red, which Levi couldn't help but love. He was beginning to think that this was someone he could tell his whole story to. Erwin knew part, but only because he was such a pivotal part of it. However, the only one who knew anything before he moved to the underground was dead.

"I promised that if you did well in training today I would tell you my story." Levi started. He couldn't believe it, but he actually wanted her to know. He wanted there to be a secret between them, something that would bind them together more than training. Mikasa looked up in surprise, she had not thought he would actually tell her.

"My mother was a whore and I never knew my father. I don't remember her much at all really, I was very young when she got sick and died. She was dead for a full day before someone came and got me. I was practically dead from malnutrition myself. The man who died here the other day was that man. He took me in and fed me. For a few years he raised me. I learned how to fight with a knife and how to take care of myself. Then he just walked away. I haven't seen him since until a few days ago. After he abandoned me I took care of myself alone. I lived wherever it was dry and fought and stole my way in the world. After a few years of that I- WHAT?"

Levi's mood changed from somber to angry in under a second. A loud knock on his office door had interrupted his story. Mikasa, while still in shock at how heart wrenching his story was, leapt in her seat at the knock and then Levi's angry voice. Her heart went out to whoever was about to walk through that door.

"Well someone is touchy today! Levi you need to relax or you'll give yourself a heart attack." Hange laughed loudly as she walked in the door followed closely by Eren. They both looked surprised to see Mikasa casually eating breakfast with the Captain. It was clear they had interrupted something by the look Levi was giving them; it could've burned a hole through a Titan.

"Did we interrupt something?" Hange asked, knowing that Levi was past the point of possible joking.

"Tell me what you want Hange or get out." Levi snapped, lowering his voice to show how short his fuse was at that moment.

"Eren and I are going to do some more experiments with his Titan body today. I wanted to see if you want to see the progress we've been making. But if you're busy…"

"I'll see your experiments later. If that's all then leave." Levi stood up with his palms pressed into the top of the desk. Hange could tell that she was not welcome anymore and retreated with Eren hot on her heels. Levi sat back down slowly.

"You didn't have to yell at her." Mikasa said. Levi's anger was slipping away.

"I don't like being interrupted." Levi growled.

"Clearly." Mikasa chirped. Levi looked at her in annoyance. But when he looked into her eyes, he saw nothing but thinly veiled amusement. _Is she laughing at me?_ Levi thought. No one laughed at him, but he didn't seem to mind if it was from Mikasa. Levi sighed through his nose and crossed his legs comfortably again.

"Back to my story. I was tired of not having a home and having no money. I decided to move into the Underground District to make a living. While I was there I came to be the owner of two sets of 3DM gear. I taught myself how to use it."

"You taught yourself? So you mean that when you use your 3DM gear now you taught yourself all of your moves?" Mikasa was shocked to learn that that Levi had lived on the streets, but even more so that he had figured out how to use the 3DM gear all by himself. "And how did you get the 3DM gear? I thought only the military had access to them."

"I stole them. I had moved from stealing bread to survive to stealing goods to earn money. I had a partner. His name was Farlan, and together we became notorious. We would use the 3DM gear to steal money from or goods. We would always give our friends a cut of our earnings so that they could survive in that hell of a District. Then we met Isabel." Levi paused and a small smile graced his lips. Mikasa felt a hot flare burning in her chest as she realized that this woman meant a lot to Levi. She knew she shouldn't be, but she was jealous.

"She knocked on our door one night being chased by a couple of guards. She had tried to make a break up one of the stair cases. They required a heavy toll that only the rich merchants could afford. She had risked prison to set a bird that had gotten lost down there free. She joined Farlan and me, and we got hold of another 3DM gear for her. The three of us were unstoppable. Then one day, a man came to us with an assignment. We wouldn't have even given him the time of day, but he was holding a friend of ours captive.

"The man who hired us had some incriminating documents that had fallen into the hands of a younger Erwin. Our mission was to get the documents and kill Erwin" Mikasa gave a squeak, disrupting Levi's thoughts. He looked at her to see that her face had gone slightly pale and there was confusion in her gaze. He could understand that. Erwin was the only one who knew that Levi had meant to kill him, and now after all that time that was changing. Levi wasn't sure yet if he would regret telling her this story, but he needed to finish it to find out.

"The man who hired us knew that the Scouts were going to arrest Farlan, Isabel, and me. All we had to do was get caught and then try and join the Scout Regiment. The surprise that made that so easy was that when Erwin caught us, he asked us to join. A few days later and we were wearing green cloaks. I do not like taking orders now, but I was worse back then. I listened only enough to not be kicked out, because I knew that if I did my friend would suffer. We joined them on an expedition outside of the walls. It was raining. Visibility was piss poor, so I took the opportunity to kill Erwin. My pride made me leave Farlan and Isabel behind. While I was searching for Erwin, I found part of our group slaughtered by a variant, whose tracks led back the way I came. I went back to save my friends, but it was too late. They had been ripped apart.

"I went blind with rage, and when I returned to my senses the variant was chopped into tiny pieces and Erwin was right in front of me. He revealed to me that he knew my plans all along from the beginning. The documents were long gone at the capital. I almost killed him there, but he made me realize that I was more than a criminal. It was my fault that Farlan and Isabel died. Erwin raised me out of the garbage and into the light."

Levi concluded his story and leaned back in his chair. Mikasa was on the edge of hers, still processing what she had just learned. This was more than she could have ever imagined from her Captain. She could see it now though, if she looked hard enough. She could see the pain in his eyes as he remembered his lost friends and the trials he endured to be where he was today.

"Sir, it wasn't your fault that they died." Mikasa murmured softly. "I know it may seem like it, but you trusted that they could take care of themselves. Even the best of us cannot escape death. You are Humanities Strongest, but you could still getting eaten at any time." She couldn't bear to see those grey eyes in pain any longer. She walked around to where he sat. She looked down at him as he gazed at her with pain, trust, and something else that she couldn't place. She now felt vulnerable next to this man, but something deep inside her gave her courage.

"I believed that Eren would die as soon as he left my sights. That happened during the battle in Trost. I blamed myself for him getting eaten, and I gave up. I was reckless and ran out of gas. There was a Titan coming at me, and I just knelt there. But then Eren came and saved my life for the second time. Now he is saving so many more by refining his shifting abilities. I am still going to protect him, but I will never again give up on living. There are people than Eren who need me alive."

Levi was so close to saying that he needed her alive, but he felt like he had shared enough that day. He was grateful for her encouraging words. They didn't left the guilt that still weighed heavily on him, but she helped lighten it. It was good to have someone else know everything, but it was also dangerous. He was putting a lot of trust in her.

"Thank you. You are not to tell anyone what we have talked about in here. You are the only one who knows everything now, and I'd rather not be hearing my past being discussed among Cadets, Mikasa." Levi froze as he realized he had called her by her first name and not Ackerman. Mikasa was surprised too.

"It was an honor. Thank you for sharing so much with me, Levi" She gave him a bright smile that hinted at mischief. Levi decided that he liked the sound of his name. All of the Cadets called him "sir" or "Captain", and he missed his name. He smiled back at her and gave a soft sigh of laughter. This girl was something else. She was so serious all of the time, but when she smiled the sun looked dim.

Mikasa was pleased that Levi hadn't corrected her. She had meant it as a joke, but since he hadn't said anything she would keep it up. Of course in front of her comrades she would call him Captain, but when it was just them he would be Levi. A warmth was spreading from deep inside of her and spreading throughout her body at the thought of them alone. She realized that she very much liked the idea of them alone.

Mikasa moved back to her seat and immediately regretted it. She missed standing right next to him, but it was too late, she couldn't move back. When she looked back at Levi, it looked like he thought the same thing she did as well. His face had fallen only a fraction, but Mikasa caught it.

A knock on the door defused the tension in the room in an instant.

"Come in." Levi called, in a much more patient mood now. Armin entered looking sheepish. His eyes found Mikasa and his eyebrows raised noticeably. Mikasa gave him a gentle glare that told him to stop looking so surprised.

"What do you want Arlert?" Levi demanded, back to his commanding self.

"Sir, we, the Cadets and I, were wondering if we had any assignments today."

"I told you sorry lot to disinfect your quarters. Did you all forget?" Levi's expression was stormy. Armin swallowed loudly.

"N-no sir! Just checking." With that he gave a deep bow and retreated swiftly. Mikasa looked curiously at Levi.

"I don't remember you telling anyone that sir, other than me not long ago." Mikasa wondering out loud.

"No I didn't, but I would rather my subordinates think they made a mistake rather than me. I don't want them to think I have forgotten about them just because I am talking to you, someone might get jealous." Mikasa blushed at what he had insinuated. "Now, you have lazed about in here long enough, you had better get your quarters looking flawless."

Mikasa stood and gave a short bow.

"I will see you at lunch then sir" Mikasa said as she neared the door.

"Mikasa," Levi said, sending a shiver down her spine when he said her name again, "When it is the two of us, you will not call me 'sir', understood?"

"Yes, Levi." Mikasa said, giving him a shy smile as she left the room.

When Armin walked by Levi's office door a few minutes later to gather more cleaning supplies from the closet, he thought he heard Levi whistling. _No way, it must be a draft in the house,_ Armin thought. He crept closer to the door to hear better, the whistling suddenly stopped. The door was wrenched open and Armin was facing a clearly annoyed Levi.

"What are you doing just standing there, get back to work." Levi snapped briskly. He walked past, leaving Armin mystified.


	5. Chapter 5

**It has been quite a while since I last posted and I apologize! I got writers block and then never came back, but now I have! Enjoy the final chapter of Training the Heart!**

 **Ch. 5**

A chill breeze began in the afternoon, and ominous clouds followed it soon after. Mikasa was still cleaning her room when she noticed that the brilliant sun which had made this morning beautiful had disappeared. A shiver crept up her spine at the darkened skies, and she knew there would be a thunderstorm soon. She wasn't afraid of thunderstorms, but she certainly didn't like them. Growing up in the mountains had taught her to be careful when there was lightening.

As the wind slowly began to crescendo, she paused in her cleaning to get a glass of water from the kitchen. There was a large bucket full of water for just such an event, and Mikasa sipped at her glass for a moment while gazing out of the small window. Even though the clear morning had been breath-taking, Mikasa had to admit that there was something dangerously beautiful about an approaching storm. The color of the sky reminded her of the stormy eyes of her Captain, and she couldn't help but think that dangerously beautiful could be applied to him as well.

Her heart gave a quick squeeze at the thought of Levi. Mikasa pondered that feeling for a moment, her water nearly forgotten. What was this feeling? The harder she thought, the faster her heart beat until she felt breathless.

"You look like you're in love!" Mikasa was startled as a voice ripped her from her thoughts.

"Sasha!" Mikasa said, still slightly rattled. Sasha entered the kitchen and laughed at Mikasa's surprised and alarmed face.

"Wow you were really lost to the world for a minute there huh?" Sasha giggled as she rooted around the empty cupboards for possible food.

"You know there is nothing there. The raiding party hasn't gotten back yet." Mikasa was ashamed that the once proud Survey Corps had to now rely on stealing for food. Every day a party set out to hunt for meat, but they couldn't hunt for flour or other staples.

"Yeah, yeah… So who were you thinking about just now?" Sasha waved off Mikasa's pessimistic view on the cabinets. Mikasa blushed quite visibly, but replied with a curt "No one, I was looking at the storm."

"Oh yeah definitely", Sasha drawled sarcastically. "The storm is very fascinating, but no one looks at a storm with love."

"Shut up Sasha." Mikasa growled as she brushed past Sasha.

"Touchy…" Sasha sighed as she returned to her search.

 _Love?_ Mikasa thought as she resumed her cleaning. _I can't love Levi. I mean I care for him sure, but so does everyone else. He's our Captain! Yes he is powerful, and good looking, and smart…..and surprisingly caring….. But that's not the point! He's the Captain!_

Mikasa felt drained. Emotions were tiring and she now understood why Levi didn't deal with them. _But he does,_ Mikasa reminded herself. Over the past several days she had come to realize that he felt a plethora of emotions, he just kept them hidden from the world. But she had still seen glimpses of a sad and tired man. A man who had seen the cruelty of the world, but did not give up his fight to make it better. Suddenly Mikasa came to a realization. _He doesn't fight Titans because he doesn't care about anything else, he fights them because he_ does _care about everything else._

She was staring at her mirror now, and she could clearly see what Sasha had seen just a few moments ago. Love. She was in love with Levi. How had this happened? _When_ had this happened? Because this feeling was not new, it had existed long before she had found the right word for it. She loved him, and that broke her heart. He cared for her, she knew that, but like a comrade cares for another comrade. He would never love her. That is when the rain began to fall.

Eren was done with cleaning his room, but most definitely NOT done to the Captain's standards. He had given up when he realized it would never be to the Captain's standards, so he decided to leave it and go see Mikasa. He knew thunderstorms made her nervous so he thought he could distract her. When he entered her room, he saw that she was on the edge of her bed with a slightly shell-shocked look.

"Mikasa?" he called as he entered her room. She looked up at him and tried to compose her emotions, but one look at his worried face had the tears that had threatened fall, leak out of her eyes silently.

"Mikasa!" Eren rushed over and sat with her. He wiped her tears away and grabbed her hands. "What's wrong? What happened? Why are you crying?"

"I-", Mikasa was lost for words. She debated lying to Eren, but couldn't find it in her to. "I think I'm in love with the Captain."

This news clearly shocked Eren, and his eyebrows shot into his hair. He struggled to close his mouth, which only caused Mikasa to crack a small smile and a surprisingly girlish giggle.

"What. When. _How?!"_ The last question was asked in such a disbelieving tone that Mikasa couldn't help but giggle once more.

"I don't know. I don't know how to answer any of your questions. It just is." Mikasa shook her head, somber once more.

"But, why are you sad then? I though love made people happy? Are you sure it's love? It might be indigestion." Eren tried to make a joke to lighten the mood. As usual it worked, and Mikasa gave him a gracious smile.

"He will never love me Eren. I'm sad because the first time I'm in love is with a man who will never look at me with more that acknowledgment. He cares about us all, but nothing more than care." Mikasa looked down at her hands and pulled her scarf nearly up to her eyes.

"Well this is interesting I suppose." Eren said as he wrapped an arm around his sister and pulled her into him. "I mean it's better than loving Jean."

Mikasa gave a full laugh at this statement and gave Eren a hug. "Thank you, you always know how to cheer me up." She sighed. "Alright, well now that I have that out of my system, I need to finish cleaning."

Eren was not surprised that Mikasa decided to put on a brave face and bury her feelings. It was what she had always done, and what she would always do. He knew that the only person in the world who knew that Mikasa actually had feelings was him. _The Captain doesn't know what he's missing out on,_ Eren thought to himself as he got up from the bed.

"I can help you clean if you'd like. I'm all done with my room." Eren suggested. Mikasa raised an eyebrow. "All done? Are you sure you want to risk saying that?" Eren shrugged and Mikasa let it go. They cleaned together in peaceful harmony for an hour or so before they both decided that the room was as good as it was going to get.

"I wonder if the raiding party has returned yet." Eren said as they left Mikasa's room and headed towards Eren's. Mikasa wanted to make sure that he had really cleaned his room well before risking the wrath of the Captain.

"Hmmm… yeah I wonder. Sasha will be very upset if dinner is not on time." Mikasa joked. As they entered Eren's room it became apparent that Eren had not cleaned it seriously, and Mikasa let out a sigh as she began to dust the bare book shelves that sat in the corner. She had to stand up on a chair in order to reach the top of it, and even then she had to stretch.

As Lance Corporal Levi was walking down the hallway to yell at Eren, he was slightly shocked (and pleased) to see the well-toned bottom of Mikasa Ackerman bobbing at eye level. His growl at Eren stuck in his throat for a fraction of a second as his mind processed the lovely view. As his mind sputtered back into action, his voice growled, "You seem to be incapable of even cleaning without the help of others Jeager."

Both Mikasa and Eren leapt into the air and spun around to face their Captain. Mikasa hopped off of her chair swiftly, to the slight disappointment of Levi. They both made quick salutes and promptly blushed crimson. Mikasa in excitement and embarrassment, and Eren because he knew what Mikasa was feeling. Levi enjoyed the sight of Eren embarrassed, and of Mikasa's flushed cheeks. He smiled inwardly.

"Well Jeager, let's see how well Ackerman helped tidy up this filthy room." Levi brushed past both Cadets and took in the mostly spotless room. He was having trouble looking at the bookcase without picturing Mikasa's bottom, so he opted to run a finger along the windowsill. Unfortunately, that was a spot that Eren had failed to recognize.

"What is this shit Jeager." Levi snapped. "One hundred laps around the house ought to teach you the importance of detail."

"But the rain, sir." Eren attempted to plead.

"You should have thought of that sooner." With that, Eren gave a half-hearted salute, and fled the room to run laps. However, Levi caught the glare that Mikasa was giving him. He found that he did not like it at all, especially since he wanted her to be in a good mood at the moment. He growled to himself.

"Jeager!"

"Yes Captain?" Eren asked as he ran back into the room.

"Since the bookcase is flawlessly cleaned, you may postpone your laps until the morning." Levi grudgingly offered. Eren gave an enthusiastic salute and ran off before the Captain could change his mind again. Levi gave a disgruntled grunt and turned around to face Mikasa.

"Your room had better be sparkling if you have time to help Eren." Levi barked. He was unsure why he was being so harsh again, but it gave him confidence to not smile at seeing her. _What is wrong with me…._ he wondered. Mikasa walked past him and he followed her to her room, fighting to not look at her backside in the process… and failing miserably.

"I believe it is cleaned to your standards Levi." Mikasa said as the entered her room. Her heart fluttered to have the Captain in her room. He had inspected it before, but this was the first time after realizing her love for him. Thunder continued to crash outside and the rain increased, falling at terrifying rates. The storm was so violent that the thunder would shake the house. Mikasa tried to keep her face straight, but the thunder still made her nervous.

At the mention of his name sent a small shiver down his spine that surprised him immensely. He pushed it to the back of him mind for later though when he began inspecting. It was flawless of course, not a speck of dirt to be found and every article had a place.

"It's perfect, well done Mikasa." He looked at her and was amused to find surprise on her face. At that same moment however the ground began to shake and the house did a jig. Mikasa was knocked off her feet and into Levi's arms. He grabbed her and dived under the table that sat in her room. He crouched over her as the earthquake began to subside. Mikasa's heart was pounding furiously as she realized how close she was to the Captain. Levi's heart had a similar hiccup. As he pulled away from her he paused to look into her scared, surprised, and loving eyes. _Wait loving?_ He thought. But as soon as he had seen it they had disappeared. He shook his head in confusion and climbed out from underneath the table.

Mikasa blushed furiously as she looked at her room and how dirty it was once more. After hours of cleaning and this was her reward.

"Don't worry about it now." Mikasa turned to look at Levi, who had just said the one thing she thought he would never say.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, you worked hard enough for today. I need to check on the other Cadets, follow me." Levi turned and opened the door for Mikasa, making her blush once again. He smirked slightly at it.

When they entered the dining room, all of the Cadets not in the raiding party had gathered. As the Captain entered the room a hush fell over everyone.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked. Everyone nodded despite being covered in dust. "All of you need a bath, go clean yourselves up and then clean up this mess. Ackerman, you are coming with me. We need to see if the raiding party is alright." Everyone scrambled to follow Levi's orders, including Mikasa.

"Get your 3DM gear and meet me outside." Levi walked towards his office to collect his own gear. Mikasa ran to her room, ignoring the look that Armin gave her, and found herself outside, soaked, cold, and irritated. She was excited to spend time with the Captain, but not in this weather!

Levi did not leave her in the rain for long when he came sprinting out of the house and immediately shot into the trees. Mikasa followed him, admiring every movement he made. The thunder and lightning faded into the background as she watched him gracefully leap from tree to tree. She almost crashed into him when he stopped suddenly to scout the area. Mikasa looked down and could see the raiding party camped beneath the tree they were in.

"They look ok" she said, relieved. She did not want to see more friends hurt. Levi nodded and leapt down from the tree with Mikasa following closely. They landed in the middle of the pathetic camp set up as the rain slowed down slightly. Jean's mouth fell open as Mikasa nearly landed on him and flipped her wet hair out of her eyes. Levi noticed and anger tore through him violently. _Why should I care if that stupid brat had a crush? He ought to, she is the only interested female around._ Levi thought as he tried to reign in his emotions. He tapped Jean's lower jaw with one of his swords and quietly said, "You'll let a fly in brat." Jean straightened up immediately, but could not keep his eyes off Mikasa. Anger fought once more to get out as Levi saw this.

"Captain!" cried a scout that Mikasa didn't recognize. "We are all fine Captain. One horse got too spooked and it ran off, but the supplies are fine."

"Good, get back to base as soon as possible." Levi barked. "We are not needed here." He said as he turned to Mikasa. She nodded and shot up into the trees once more.

The return trip was slower; the rain had picked up again. Mikasa let her thought wonder to Levi again. She loved him, that was for sure, but it hurt her all the same. He would never respond to her that way. He probably didn't even find her attractive. What she would give to catch his eye or have him look at her longingly the way she did to him.

Crack!

Something was wrong. One minute Mikasa was flying, the next she was falling. She looked up in shock to see that her right line had snapped. Time slowed. She could not think as she fell towards the ground. She knew she would die, the trees were too tall and the ground was too hard. She thought of Levi and how he would probably move on quickly after her funeral, if she even had one. At this last thought, she let out a cry for help.

"LEVI!" she screamed with all her might. She saw a flash of green and black, and then her world stopped. He had caught her and they were hanging in between two massive trees. The ground was only a few yard below them. If Levi had been only a second or two slower she would be dead. At that revelation, with the storm raging around them, she leaned in and kissed him. It was light and quick, but full of love.

Suddenly, Levi's hand shot out and pulled her head back towards his. He kissed her passionately. His love, he knew the moment she kissed him that he loved her, was poured into that kiss. Mikasa's heart leapt in her chest and she kissed him back with the same amount of passion. Her dreams were coming true as the two kissed while in midair in a thunderstorm. As they pulled apart to breath, Mikasa began to laugh.

Levi looked at her in bewilderment. "What, is something funny?" he stormed, outraged that she would laugh at him after he let his guard down.

"No! It's just, I never thought, I never dreamed. I love you Levi." She stuttered out, not caring anymore. Levi's heart clenched at her confession. He did not think he could love again after losing his friends so many times to the Titans, but here was his exception. His only exception. She would forever be his, no matter what happened next.

"I love you too, Mikasa"

 **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Keep an eye out for more stories. I think what I will do next time is write it all and then post it so no one has to wait for a new chapter for a year ;)**


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